Miller



The Games, in order of appearance: Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker , Viewtiful Joe , The Last Guardian , Shadow of the Colossus , Okami , No More Heroes , ICO , Killer 7 , Borderlands

This is a group of screen-shots from games with stylized graphics (mostly cel-shaded ) and unique art directions. Some of these games have more validity being grouped here than others -
--ZOE2, Viewtiful Joe, and Borderlands used cel-shaded graphics out of necessity, to be more unique and in turn generate sales
--Zelda and Okami needed to show wind, as well as a legion of other environmental effects.
--No More Heroes and Killer 7 are brutally violent and director Suda51 (Goichi Suda) uses cel-shading to avoid heavy censorship (especially in Japan)
--ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian (all by Team ICO) are known for being at the helm of the Art-Game argument - that is, the argument that video games can be a legitimate form of art.

Of these games, the most important to the possibility of "games as art" are Okami, Killer 7, and the Team ICO games.

Okami is the high-water mark of cel-shaded graphics affecting gameplay and the player's experience
Killer 7, one of the few Post Modern Games (after the ground-breaking Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty , 'critical response' - 2nd paragraph) used a unique art direction to accentuate it's unique gameplay and story
The Team ICO games are known for minimal character development and story explanation while getting the character attached emotionally